This invention relates in general to the field of data communications and, in particular, to compressing cell headers for data communication.
As communication needs increase, data communication technology has become more important. One deficiency associated with known data communications systems is the inefficiency of transmitting information over satellite broadcast systems. As technology has progressed, the computational costs of encapsulating data for satellite transmission have been significantly reduced, but satellite communication costs, which are measured as dollars per bit, have not. Consequently, known data communications technologies are not satisfactory for many uses.
In accordance with the present invention, disadvantages and problems associated with data communication techniques are reduced or eliminated.
According to one example of the present invention, a method of cell header compression is disclosed. A plurality of cells are received. A cell includes a cell header and a payload. The cells are sorted according to the cell headers. A compression control block is generated that describes the cell headers and an arrangement of the payloads according to the cell headers. The payloads are assembled according to the arrangement. A datagram is generated with the compression control block and the assembled payloads.
Certain examples of the invention may provide one or more technical advantages. A technical advantage of one example may be that cell headers are compressed, which may increase the efficiency of satellite communication. Compression of cell headers may improve the efficiency of satellite communication by decreasing the amount of data transmitted over the satellite. Another technical advantage of an example may be that cell header compression is compliant with the Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) standard and, thus, compliant with existing DVB hardware. Another technical advantage of an example may be that asymmetrical compression processing is utilized, which may reduce computational workload for the receiver. The bulk of the computational workload may be performed by the transmitter instead of the receiver. A benefit may be that receivers can include small computers with a smaller physical volume and weight. Another technical advantage of one example is that the transmitter workload may be reduced by avoiding unnecessary transitions between compression procedures. The example system may attempt to remain in a state where a particular compression procedure has proven previously successful for compressing cell headers.
Another technical advantage provided by an example may be that cell headers of encrypted data may be compressed. High speed encrypters may be used to encrypt cells, but must leave the cell header intact. Because there may be no benefit to compressing the encrypted payload, a means to improve transmission efficiency may be by compressing the cell headers.
Other technical advantages may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the figures, descriptions and claims included herein. None, some, or all of the examples may provide technical advantages.